I have to admit that I've kind of fallen off of the Roots' bandwagon. Not that I don't like them anymore but I just kind of stopped listening to them and following their new releases. And there's no better way to get someone back into the thick of things by offering a free stream of your album, which is what the Philly crew has done over at NPR.
At first lesson, the album reminds me why I kind of fell away from The Roots. Black Thought still brings it but it's a more laid back sound and the songs mostly float by and nothing jumps out and grabs me. While I know that this isn't completely true with The Roots, it does feel a bit like they've fallen into the trap that ails most long-standing groups - they've gone from having something to say to just saying something. At first listen, The OtherSide was my favorite but even then there's nothing that really rivals the early works of The Roots.